How the Best Dressage Riders Build a Team Around Them

TL;DR: The riders who improve fastest usually aren't the most talented or the best funded. They're the ones who build a support system that clears their head for the one thing that actually moves the needle: reflecting on their riding and planning what comes next.

Honestly, the thing that surprises people about top sport isn't the riding. It's how much of the result is decided before anyone gets on a horse.

What does a "team" have to do with how I ride?

Think of your support in layers. There's the home layer that keeps ordinary life running, the barn layer that keeps your horse cared for and ready, and the professional layer of vets, farriers and trainers. None of those layers are about the horse directly. They exist to give you back your attention, so the hours you do spend in the saddle are spent thinking about riding rather than everything else. You don't need a big budget to build this. You need to be deliberate about where your mental energy leaks away.

How do you choose a trainer who actually helps?

The tell isn't the trophies. It's whether you leave a session with a plan. A trainer worth keeping meets you where you are, looks for solutions instead of handing you the blame, and is still hungry enough to seek help for their own riding. If you finish lessons feeling smaller and no clearer on what to do tomorrow, that's information.

What if I can't afford regular lessons?

Most riders train alone most of the time, so the question isn't how to buy more lessons, it's how to get more from the riding you're already doing. A camera that follows you around the arena will teach you more this month than you'd expect, because the gap between what you feel and what you actually do is where progress hides. A handful of high-value sessions a year, properly prepared for, will usually beat a steady drip of rushed ones.

What's the one habit that improves riders fastest?

It isn't fitness, and it isn't talent. It's reflection. Set a clear goal before you ride, stay present while you do, and look back honestly afterwards, ideally on video while the feel is fresh. The best riders treat every ride as a question they're answering, not a box they're ticking.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a professional team to take dressage seriously? No. Start with whichever layer frees up the most headspace for you and build from there.

How often should the vet see a horse that's just in regular work? As a baseline, a couple of considered check-ins a year, more as you ask more of the horse. Your vet should tailor that to your situation.

Is remote coaching worth it? It can be, especially when you can't reach a trainer in person. It loses some of the subtlety of being there, but paired with video it's a genuine option.

What's the cheapest thing that makes the biggest difference? Filming your rides and actually watching them back.

About Laura Graves. Former world number one and American Olympic dressage medallist, Laura is the headline coach of the Performance Riders Gold Program. You can meet Laura and the rest of the coaching team on the Performance Riders site.

This is the kind of thinking we work through inside the Gold Program.